If Bass Pro Shops determined that it would be profitable for them to locate in Tampa, they would, with no incentives.

What happened to Hagan’s Economic Development Task Force recommendation that Hillsborough County incentivize only bio-tech, medical, manufacturing and high-tech businesses?

Adding “destination-retail” to the list to include Bass Pro ignores that few people south of Sarasota or east of Lakeland are likely to visit a Tampa store, with existing stores in Ft. Myers and Orlando; and none of them will stay overnight just to shop here.

It ignores that most jobs will be low-wage, part-time and no-benefit.

The County’s math calculates that taxpayers will be repaid in five years, but there seems to be no calculations as to how many existing mom and pop sporting goods business will fall off the tax rolls as a result.

These fuels are being sold on the “world market” because there is insufficient demand in the U.S. due ironically, to rising gas prices and higher-mileage vehicles being sold.

The Keystone Pipeline, environmental issues not withstanding, would be good for the Canadian oil export companies and good for the U.S. gasoline exporting companies but would have little lasting value to the average citizen.

That oil, once refined in the Gulf states would be sold as gasoline to South America, not North America.

The same issues involve additional oil drilling in the U.S. All that excess gasoline produce would be sold and shipped out of the United Sates, thereby keeping U.S. gas prices high.

Until our benighted elected government representatives ban all exports of U.S. produced oil products, we will have ever higher gas prices at the pumps and see ever higher, obscene profits going to oil companies.

What about it Congress?

Care to pass a law protecting The People of the United States of America instead of the oil companies?

What we have are war-mongering congressmen beating the drums for conflict with Iran, and shutting down their oil production just to further increase the “world market” for gasoline and increase oil companies profits.

U.S. authorities, who suspect that tens of thousands of Americans have been using Swiss banks to avoid paying billions of dollars in taxes, are investigating scores of Swiss banks and international banks with Swiss operations.

So, not only are the so-called Job Creators in this county “on strike” in the creation of jobs for unemployed Americans, they are illegally taking their profits out of the county in order to avoid paying taxes.

The Job Creators complain that they cannot hire American workers because corporate taxes are too high, yet they pay others to help them avoid paying taxes on their incomes that the rest of us have to pay.

Wonder why teachers, police and firefighters are getting laid-off?

This is just one more example in a long history of abuses by the 1% that ultimately harm the 99%.

U.S. Reps Billirakis, Nugent and Young used some variation of the concept of “certainty” six times in their recent short letter to the editor, pounding their collective chests over how effective they see themselves.

It was Benjamin Franklin, who wrote in a 1789 letter that:

“Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”

This means that corporations are taxed only on the money that is remaining from income, after all expenses are paid.

Individuals are taxed on all income, before most expenses are paid.

If our Dear Representatives want “certainty” and a “permanent” solution, let them reform the entire tax code so that every individual and every corporation pay fixed percentages of every dollar earned regardless of expenses paid, with no tax incentives for anyone.

If every Job Creator knew, with certainty that say 10% of every dollar that came into their cash register would go to support national defense, health, education and welfare, they could then confidently make business decisions, including hiring workers to run their businesses in the most profitable manner possible in order to hold on to as much of that remaining 90%.

Business regulations should be limited to those protecting consumers’ safety and well-being.